Ivanka Velikonja Antolin passed away peacefully at home in Alexandria, Virgina, on June 2 nd ,
2024. Beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, lawyer,
librarian, polyglot, world traveler, and eternal optimist, she leaves behind a rich legacy of love
and adventure to both family and friends.
Ivanka was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia on June 6, 1924, to Slovenian writer, Lenart (Narte)
Velikonja and his wife, Ivanka Jeglič Velikonja, the third child of thirteen. A refugee after World
War II, Ivanka fled in May 1945 from the communist takeover of Yugoslavia. She made her way
to Rome, primarily on foot, and began her time as a post-WWII Displaced Person. In Rome, she
lived in a Slovenian convent while studying law and political science at the University of Rome
from November 1945 to July 1947. She then moved to Zaragoza, Spain, where, in 1949, she
received her Licenciatura de Derecho from the University of Zaragoza. She continued legal
studies at the University of Strasbourg, France, obtaining a Certificat de Droit Prive in June,
1952.
Ivanka returned to Spain where, in October, 1952, she married Dr. Viktor Antolin, a fellow
Slovenian refugee she had met while they were students in Rome. They had three daughters
while living in Madrid, Spain: Ivanka (1953), Ana (1954), and Vida (1955). In 1956, they sailed
from Barcelona to immigrate to Toronto, Canada. Her next six children were born in Toronto:
Pavel (1956), Tomaž (1958), Michael (1959), Stanislav (1960), Helena (1961), and Jožef (1962).
In 1962, they immigrated to the United States, where Dr. Antolin took a faculty position as
professor of philosophy at St. Joseph’s College in Emmitsburg, MD. The family lived in a civil-
war era house just north of the Maryland/Pennsylvania state border on the Mason-Dixon Line,
near Fairfield, PA. Ivanka’s last four children were born in Gettysburg, PA: Robert and Meta
(1964), Katherine (1965), and Kristina (1968).
Ivanka managed the busy household, ably raising thirteen children, and volunteering,
particularly in her church, St. Joseph’s Parish, Emmitsburg, MD. She joyfully did homework with
her children, especially enjoying the math problems. During the summer, she loved to take the
children swimming on most afternoons. Summers also included organizing the troops for
picking fruit from local orchards followed by epic canning efforts of cherries, peaches, and then
apples, each in their season. Winter included ice skating and she welcomed a good snowfall,
rallying the children to create a long sled run and sledding under a winter moon. She often
accompanied children on school outings. She and Viktor regularly took the family on hiking
trips to various state parks and to visit central Washington DC, on a tankful of gas and with a
picnic basket, to the Mall (free parking at the time between the Capitol and the Washington
Monument!) and Smithsonian Museums (also no entry fee). Gaining experiences and
education were core family values.
She returned to studies in 1974, earning a Masters in Library Science from Shippensburg State
College in 1976 and launching her career as a librarian. She was the Catalogue and Adult
Services Librarian for Adams County Library in Gettysburg, PA for two years, before becoming
the Reference Librarian at Mount St. Mary’s College, Emmitsburg, MD, where she introduced
modern computer cataloguing systems. She retired from that third career in 1994, at age 70.

In 1971, Ivanka made her first return visit to Slovenia, travelling with her mother Ivanka Jeglič
Velikonja and her sister, Zina who lived in Cleveland, OH. Thereafter, she frequently travelled
to Slovenia, regularly visiting both her family and her husband’s family until 2010.
Retirement brought years of travel and adventure, as she visited her children and
grandchildren, as well as her family all over the world. She moved to London, UK, in 1996,
joining her daughter, Vida, and her three children during Vida’s three-year Naval tour of duty
there. Ivanka served as the grandmother of the entire London Navy community, was a
volunteer librarian at the Department of Defense elementary school, the chaperone of choice
for school trips, and served as the guide for her grandchildren during their two summer visits to
Slovenia. In 1999, she returned to Fairfield, PA, living with her son, Tomaž, and grandson,
Justin. She travelled with her son, Stan, and his family during their European trip in 2002,
introducing yet another family of grandchildren to her beloved Slovenia. Ivanka spent part of
the summer of 2004 in Paris with her son, Michael, his spouse Christina, and their children
during their work there; the family then embarked on a long road trip through Europe including
a visit to Slovenia. Ivanka’s travel itinerary in retirement was prodigious – she frequently visited
all her children, wherever located in the United States and abroad. Her children rejoiced when
Ivanka added them to her annual itinerary; her many grandchildren reminisce on the laughter
and fun with their Stara Mama.In 2009, she moved from Fairfield to Alexandria, VA, where she lived with her daughters, Vida and Ana. During her first six years in Northern Virginia, she immersed herself in the faith community at Good Shepherd Parish, with faithful attendance at daily mass and visitation of the sick. She also re-engaged with the Slovenian community in Washington. Ivanka was predeceased by her parents, her husband, Dr. Viktor Antolin, her son, Robert, and her daughters, Ivanka and Ana, her grandsons, Matthew and Christopher, and ten of her brothers and sisters.
Ivanka is survived by children Vida Antolin-Jenkins (Alexandria, VA), Pavel and Cvetka Antolin
(Toronto, Canada), Tomaž (Fairfield, PA), Drs. Michael Antolin and Christina Walters (Fort
Collins, CO), Stanislav Antolin and Peggy Barron-Antolin (Greensburg, NC), Drs. Helena and
Steve Cochrane (Philadelphia, PA), Jozef Antolin and Patty Wilczek (San Jose, CA), Meta Antolin
(Yellowknife, NWT, Canada), Drs. Katherine and Kirill Bakeev (Newark, DE), Kristina Davies and
Dr. Antony Davies (Oakton, VA), and Ivanka’s spouse, Judy Lynn (Spotsylvania, VA). In addition,
she leaves behind 24 grandchildren (and 12 of their spouses) and 12 great-grandchildren. She
is also survived by two of her sisters in Slovenia, Mija Kandus and Meta Velikonja.
A woman of great verve, spirit, spirituality, and humor, Ivanka was an inspiration to all who
knew her. When you were with her, she made you feel that you were kind, special, and
important. 100 years (just about…we are rounding up those last 4 days) is a good long lifetime.
Ivanka made the most of every bit of it, in every way. She loved reading, swimming, and
playing games. She relished the title of “Stara Mama” (Grandmother) and treasured time with
family. Laughter was her strongest language, love her greatest legacy. The world is just a little
dimmer without her but so much brighter for having had her.

The family is very grateful to the Home Instead caregivers that assisted Ivanka in the past year
and especially grateful to the team at Goodwin Hospice for the last two and a half months of
her life.
Her funeral mass will be held on Friday, August 2nd , at 1:00 pm at her home parish of Good
Shepherd Catholic Church, Alexandria, VA and her interment will follow on Saturday, August 3 rd ,
at 10:00 am at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Emmitsburg, MD.
In lieu of flowers, the Antolin Family invites family and friends to remember Ivanka Antolin
through donations to Mother Seton School, 100 Creamery Road, Emmitsburg, MD 21727
http://bit.ly/MSSAntolinMemorial ; Goodwin Hospice, 3440 S. Jefferson Street, Falls Church, VA
22041, or a local hospice organization.

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